Come what may: Teenager dies as doctors remain unmoved

An elderly woman being shifted to a car so that she can be taken to a private hospital. PHOTO: WASEEM IMRAN/EXPRESS

RAWALPINDI:

A teenage boy died at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Rawalpindi on Monday as he could not get treatment because of strike by young doctors in the hospital.

Mother of Muhammad Jahangir, 13, alleged that her son was not attended by doctors in the medical ward despite repeated requests.

Jahangir’s mother talking to the media at the DHQ Hospital said that her son was suffering from fever and shivering when he was brought to the hospital in the morning.

A man attending his relative patient on the nearby bed also informed that the family of the deceased boy made repeated requests to the doctors to attend Jahangir.

The aggrieved mother said a doctor attended her son and administered a drip to him and left the ward. As his condition deteriorated another doctor came and pronounced him dead, the dejected mother said.

Following the death of the young boy his family protested outside the ward and chanted slogans against the doctors and the hospital administration.

After the protest of the family, opposition MNA Malik Shakeel Awan and District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zaffar held a meeting with the medical superintendent of the hospital Dr Sher Ali Niazi.

Talking to the media persons afterwards, MNA Awan said Jahangir’s parents had taken him from the hospital without consulting his doctors. He ruled out the possibility of any negligence on behalf of the doctors.

Meanwhile 15 army doctors joined the three hospitals and examined patients at Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and DHQ.

Hundred and ten new doctors were also inducted on Monday in three hospitals of Rawalpindi.

In a related development, Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) Principal Dr Mussadaq Khan said the summer vacations of the teaching doctors had been cancelled and they had been called back to attend patients at the three hospitals.

As many as 30 fresh lady doctors joined their duties at the three hospitals and some 40 doctors from different rural areas had been called in for emergency measures.

Meanwhile, the police conducted raids throughout the night to arrest YDA office-bears. Among others, they have arrested YDA secretary Dr Irfan. To avoid arrests YDA office-bears have gone underground, said a police official.

Lending support

To express solidarity with the young doctors, the YDA Islamabad also observed a black day on Monday. Members of YDA from three public hospitals of Islamabad — Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Polyclinic and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital — gathered outside Pims and staged a protest demonstration. They blocked road for two hours and demanded of the Punjab government to immediately release the arrested doctors and accept their demand for service structure. They also reminded the federal government of its promise of giving a service structure to the young doctors.